A casual vacancy has occured in the Parish of Hessay, and if contested, the election will take place on Thursday 13 March 2008.  The Notice of Election is posted on Thursday 7 February 2008.  The timetable is as follows:

• Publication of Notice of Election, 7 February 2008 at 5pm
• First day for receipt of nominations, 8 February 2008
• Last time for receipt of nominations, 15 February 2008, noon
• Publish Statement of persons nominated, 19 February 2008, noon
• Last time for withdrawal of nomination papers, 20 February 2008, noon 
• Last time to change/cancel existing postal vote, 27 February 2008, 5pm
• Last day to apply for a postal vote, 27 February 2008, 5pm
• Publication of Notice of Poll, 5 March 2008
• Last day for new proxy voting applications, 5 March 2008, 5pm
• Last day for appointment of counting Agent, 6 March 2008
• Last day for applications for emergency proxy, 13 March 2008, 5pm
• Polling day,13 March 2008, 7am to 10pm
• Return of Candidates Declaration, 10 April 2008

Who can be a candidate?

To qualify to be elected as a member for a Parish Council a person must be:

• 18 years of age or over at the date of their nomination, and 
• either a British Citizen, a Commonwealth citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Ireland or a citizen of another European Union State.

and also:

• are registered as a local government elector for the parish, or
• have during the whole of the 12 months preceding the day of their nomination as candidate occupied as owner or tenant, land or other premises in the parish, or
• their principal or only place of work during those 12 months has been in that parish, or
• have during the whole of those twelve months resided in that parish or within 4.8 kilometres (3 miles) of the parish.

There are certain people who are not eligible to stand for election

• Someone who holds a paid office under the local authority or a politically restricted post, as defined in Part I of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. 
• Someone who has been adjudged bankrupt. 
• Someone who has been sentenced to a term of imprisonment (whether suspended or not) of not less than three months, without the option of a fine, during the five years preceding the election. 
• Someone who has been disqualified under any enactment relating to corrupt or illegal practices.
  

How to stand as a candidate

You don't have to be a member of a registered political party to stand for election; anyone who meets the qualifications set out above can stand. 

We will provide on request a nomination pack, this includes all the relevant nomination forms, a form to request a copy of the Register of Electors to help with the completion of the nomination forms, a timetable and a guide provided by the Electoral Commission.

Any one who wishes to stand as a candidate must complete nominations papers, these include:

• Nomination form - this requires the name and address of the candidate, any descriptions of the political party if representing one, the relevant number of electors to propose and second for both City and Parish elections and eight assentors for City Council Elections, all of whom are registered to vote in the ward or parish the candidate is standing for.
• Candidates Consent to Nomination - this form confirms that the candidate is qualified to stand, it is signed by both the candidate and a witness.
• Notice of appointment of election Agent - every candidate must appoint an agent, it can be the candidate themselves or another person.

If standing for a registered political party, the following must also be supplied:

• Certificate of authorisation - to use the party description
• Request to use the party emblem

Completed forms must be returned to Electoral Services at The Guildhall during the nomination period, this begins on Friday 8 February 2008 and papers can be submitted between 10.00am to 4.00pm until the close of nominations on Friday 15 February 2008 at 12 noon.

The deadline to be included in the Register of Electors used for this election is 27 February 2008.  Rolling registration forms are available from the Electoral Services Section, in person at the Guildhall or from the rolling registration form whcih you can download from this page.

Full Parish Council Elections

City of York Council elections are held on a four-year cycle.  The next elections for all wards within the city will be Thuersday 5 May 2011.  Parish Councils have their elections on the same day.

Nomination packs are available in advance of local elections and can be requested from the elections office.

The Electoral Commission provide free candidates guides for all elections and these are updated regularly, copies can be found on the Electoral Commission website.  The council is not responsible for the content or reliability of external websites.